European stocks rose on a busy day for earnings after the region’s central bank kept interest rates on hold for a third straight meeting and the US economy’s fourth-quarter growth proved stronger than expected.
The Stoxx Europe 600 edged 0.3% higher at the close in London. Technology stocks outperformed while automotive shares lagged behind.
The European Central Bank left the deposit rate at a record-high 4% — as predicted by all economists surveyed by Bloomberg. President Christine Lagarde’s muted affirmation that the European Central Bank may begin lowering interest rates from around mid-2024 was taken by markets as a sign that earlier moves are very much in play.
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